Ford City · Windsor, Ontario
Ford City and East Windsor: worker-era homes and a grant for windows
Ford City's houses went up near the Ford plant on Drouillard Road, for the people who worked there. Houses this age often have small wood windows, earlier replacements starting to fog, and a front porch that carries the look of the street. The City's Ford City improvement plan has a grant for windows, doors and porches you can see from the road. We match you with an independent pro who takes on this kind of repair and replacement. Ask them for the itemized estimates the grant needs.
At a glance
- History
- A village in 1913, East Windsor in 1928, joined Windsor in 1935
- Houses
- Worker houses from the company-town years, many with front porches
- Grant
- Ford City CIP: front doors, windows and porches visible from the road
- Main street
- Drouillard Road
Ford's town: a short history in houses
Ford City became a village in 1913, took the name East Windsor in 1928 and joined Windsor in 1935. It grew around the Ford plant at Riverside Drive and Drouillard Road, and its houses were built to be close to the work: modest, close together, often with a porch facing the street.
That shapes the windows. Many houses of this age started with small wood sash, and many have had some of it replaced since, sometimes with inserts that shrank the glass inside the old opening.
The Ford City CIP residential grant: what counts as 'visible from the road'
The Ford City community improvement plan includes a neighbourhood residential rehabilitation grant. Eligible work includes the repair or replacement of front doors, windows and porches, and the work must be visible from the road right-of-way. Amounts and conditions are in the program guide.
In practice:
- Clearly visible: the front windows, the front door, the porch.
- Ask the City: side windows you can see from the street, and the side of a corner house.
- Unlikely: windows at the back that the road can't see.
Order of operations:
- Read the guide and confirm your address is in the plan area.
- Get two contractor estimates for the same scope, each item on its own line.
- Apply, and ask the City when the work can start. Hold the booking until you have an answer.
Small wood sash, earlier replacements and what to do with them
A small wood sash that sticks or rattles is usually a repair: new cords or balances, fresh putty, a cracked pane replaced. Window repair keeps the original look on the street side.
An earlier replacement with fog between the panes has a blown seal. The thermal glass inside it, the sealed unit, can usually be changed while the frame stays put. Foggy sealed units explains how.
If the replacement itself is failing, a new window may make more sense, especially at the front, where the grant can apply. Replacement windows explains the choices.
Front doors and porches
The front door and the porch do most of the work of making a Ford City house look like itself, and the grant names both. A tired door can often be refitted, reglazed or given new hardware. When it can't, a new entry door can go into the same opening.
Porches are on the City's list of projects that need a building permit, so ask whether the quote includes the permit, and keep the porch on its own line for the grant application.
Drouillard Road storefronts and the façade grant
Drouillard Road is the neighbourhood's main street. The Ford City plan also has a building façade improvement grant for commercial fronts, and the Main Streets plan encourages reinstating doors and windows that were filled in. If a shop window has been boarded, bricked in or shrunk, ask the City which program fits, then get the glass priced through storefront glass. Our grants guide compares the programs.
Ford City questions
Does the Ford City grant cover windows at the back of the house?
Probably not. The program says eligible work must be visible from the road right-of-way, which points to front windows, the front door and the porch. Side windows seen from the street, or the side of a corner house, are worth asking about. Check with the City before including anything out of view.
How do I apply for the Ford City CIP grant?
Start with the City's Ford City CIP page and program guide. Confirm your property is in the plan area, get two contractor estimates for the same scope, and submit them with the application. For the estimates, say on the request form that it's for the grant.
Can I start work before the grant is approved?
Ask the City before you do. Programs like this review a project before it's built, and starting early could leave you without the grant. We haven't seen the City say exactly how it treats work that's already begun, so get a clear answer from staff, ideally in writing, and hold your booking with the pro until you have it.
Are the small wood windows in a Ford City house worth repairing?
Often, yes. Small sash has few parts: a cord or balance, putty, the glass and the wood. When the wood is sound, a repair keeps the window's original size and look. When the frame is soft or several parts are failing, replacement may be the better spend. Ask the pro to price both, and read our guide to repairing or replacing before choosing.
Do I need two quotes for the Ford City grant?
Yes, the application asks for two contractor estimates. Make them easy to compare: identical scope, itemized, with repair and replacement priced separately where both make sense. Tell us it's for the Ford City grant, and we'll look for two independent pros so the estimates come from different businesses.